Abstract
[{"label":"INTRODUCTION","text":"Available evidence indicates that ketone bodies may improve sleep quality. Therefore, we determined whether ketone ester (KE) intake could counteract sleep disruptions induced by strenuous exercise."},{"label":"METHODS","text":"Ten well-trained cyclists with good sleep quality participated in a randomized crossover design consisting of two experimental sessions each involving a morning endurance training and an evening high-intensity interval training ending 1 h before sleep, after which polysomnography was performed overnight. Postexercise and 30 min before sleeping time, subjects received either 25 g of KE (EX KE ) or a placebo drink (EX CON ). A third session without exercise but with placebo supplements (R CON ) was added to evaluate the effect of exercise per se on sleep."},{"label":"RESULTS","text":"Blood d -\u03b2-hydroxybutyrate concentrations transiently increased to ~3 mM postexercise and during the first part of the night in EX KE but not in EX CON or R CON . Exercise significantly reduced rapid eye movement sleep by 26% ( P = 0.001 vs R CON ) and increased wakefulness after sleep onset by 95% ( P = 0.004 vs R CON ). Interestingly, KE improved sleep efficiency by 3% ( P = 0.040 vs EX CON ) and counteracted the exercise-induced decrease in rapid eye movement sleep ( P = 0.011 vs EX CON ) and the increase in wakefulness after sleep onset ( P = 0.009 vs EX CON ). This was accompanied by a KE-induced increase in dopamine excretion ( P = 0.033 vs EX CON ), which plays a pivotal role in sleep regulation. In addition, exercise increased sleep spindle density by 36% ( P = 0.005 vs R CON ), suggesting an effect on neural plasticity processes during sleep."},{"label":"CONCLUSIONS","text":"These data indicate that KE ingestion improves sleep efficiency and quality after high-intensity exercise. We provide preliminary evidence that this might result from KE-induced increases in dopamine signaling."},{"copyright":"Copyright \u00a9 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Sports Medicine."}]
